Hoy, Captains!

Ian here! I don’t have a lot to report his month other than that things are coming along on The Expanse RPG: Transport Union Edition crowdfunder. The pieces and parts are coming together like a new ship at Tycho Shipyards. If you want to pick my brain and ask me questions about the upcoming game books or just chat about anything Expanse or Green Ronin-related, I’ll be live on ThursdAGE today, Thursday, May 29th, along with disembodied Troy at 5:00 PM Eastern and 2:00 PM Pacific. Fear not, if you miss this one, I expect I’ll be on ThursdAGE a few more times in the near future. You can also check it out on demand on YouTube after the livestream.

Also, if you’re going to Origins Game Fair in Columbus Ohio, you can catch me there at the Green Ronin booth or aimlessly wandering the halls. We'll be in booth 201, come say hello!

 

Since we’ve got another fairly news-light month, I have something very special for you — the final cover for The Expanse RPG: Transport Union Edition core rulebook. We decided to go with a triptych that reflects the cover of the original edition of the core but update for the Transport Union Era. From left to right, instead of Avasarala speaking to the UN, we have Michio Pa speaking to the Transport Union assembly. Instead of Bobby piloting a ship near the Ring Station (aka the Hub), we have a Void ship passing through a ring gate. And finally, replacing Martian Marines on the surface of Mars, we have explorers on one of the 1300 new worlds beyond the ring. I love this cover so much! Just looking at it gets me excited to jump in and play The Expanse RPG again. 

 

See you in the Belt, sasa ke, ya?

Hey folks,

Quick note here: sorry this update is a little bit late. It was meant to be published last week, but your friendly neighborhood admin is on another continent at the moment and time zone differences are confusing enough without calendar reminders getting rearranged. Apologies for the lateness, but here's Ian with April's update.


Hoy, again Captains! 

It's Ian here again with your monthly update on The Expanse RPG: Transport Union Edition crowdfunder on Backerkit. It’s been hectic but smooth sailing for all of us working on The Expanse. The core rulebook, Free Navy Conflict, and Daemon’s Gambit are all with production. I’m making my final pass on Crew Companion, and it should be in production by the next update. Art is steadily flowing in, and I must say, there are some amazing pieces of work. Opening up the setting to include the Transport Union era has allowed us to explore a lot more of the Expanse universe—colony worlds, new characters from the novels, new ships, and much more. 

 

Since this is a fairly short update, here are a few of the pieces that are currently works in progress. The final pieces may be a bit different (and more polished), but I thought you all might enjoy seeing the progression. Included here are a few general pieces and portraits of Amos, Clarissa Mao, Michio Pa, and Bobbie. I hope you enjoy them as much as I have. Stay tuned for completed pieces in a future update. 

 

Until next time!

Hey folks,

Sorry for the surprise update so late in the day, but we received a product sample for one of the Norse Foundry Dice this last weekend, and since the pledge manager is closing this week, we thought maybe you would like to check these out in case you were still on the fence about adding a set to your order.

Here's Hal, showing off the dice!

We only have the sample for the Transport Union faction, but this should give you a pretty good idea of the quality of the aluminum, and the format for the box.

And on that note, we'll be sending out the 48 hour warning email on Wednesday morning for the end of the pledge manager. The Final deadline will be Friday morning, and pledges will lock down automatically (you should probably make sure you're all set before that). We will also be charging cards for late pledges, add-ons and shipping at that time (Friday). If you have exceptional circumstances, please feel free to get in touch with us at [email protected], and we will do what we can to work with you.

If you want to double check your survey but don't have the original link/email, you can request a new link RIGHT HERE!

And finally, a quick reminder that we don't receive reliable notifications of comments left here, so email is best if you have questions or concerns. 

Hoy Captains! 

Ian here again with your monthly update on The Expanse RPG: Transport Union Edition crowdfunder on Backerkit. The books are coming along well, and we’re still on target to have the books ready for delivery this coming Summer. The core rulebook for The Expanse TUE is already in production, and I expect we might be able to share some sample pages fairly soon. By the time you read this, both Free Navy Conflict and Daemon’s Gambit will also be in production. I’m currently developing the Crew Companion, and that should be ready for editing in a week or so.

A lot of folks have been asking about when the pledge manager is going to close, and we're incredibly close! If you have any last-minute changes you want to make to your pledge, or add any accessories or extra sets of miniatures, get those changes in soon. The deadline for changes to your pledge is April 7th.

 

Today, I’m going to give you a spoiler-free look into Free Navy Conflict, which is covered in the novels Nemesis Games and Babylon’s Ashes.  A good bit of information is available on Backerkit, but I’m going to dive in a little deeper.

From the campaign page:

Free Navy Conflict

Background and adventures for this apocalyptic era of play. The Free Navy Conflict offers an in-depth look at the war that devastated Earth and forever altered humanity’s fate amongst the stars. Inside you’ll find a detailed history of the conflict, from Durate’s betrayal to the effects of the asteroid impact on Earth and the food and infrastructure breakdowns that follow. You’ll also find details on several of the pivotal battles, the eventual surrender of Marco Inaros and the Free Navy, which brought about the formation of the Transport Union. The book is also packed with adventure hooks and GM advice for telling Expanse stories during this tumultuous period. Finally, five independent adventures explore the Free Navy Conflict from both sides. - 128-page softback. UPGRADED TO HARDCOVER

History, Michio believed, was a long list of surprises that seemed inevitable in retrospect.

—Babylon’s Ashes

Chapter 1 opens with a detailed history of the Free Navy conflict—everything you’d want to know about the conflict, from the early plans laid by Marco Inaros and Winston Duarte to the founding of the Transport Union at the end of the conflict. We go into detail on every major battle that takes place, the political machinations of those involved, and the aftermath on Earth and Mars. There is also a section that discusses how your player characters might fit into the conflict. 

 

Chapter 2 offers a wealth of information about the tactics employed by the Free Navy's eight new ships, including the next-generation Corvette-class that was heavily used by the Free Navy. 

 

Chapter 3 explores the complexities of running a series set during wartime. This advice applies not only to the Free Navy conflict but to any ongoing conflict. It also offers some ideas on running large-scale battles. Aside from the ships, this is probably one of my favorite parts of the book. 

 

Following Chapter 3 are five adventures set during the conflict: On the Road with the Triplanetary Band, Whiskey Dangerous, Derelict, Four Card Monte, and A War of Ideas. I’m not going to go into detail about them here so as to avoid spoilers. What I can safely say is that these adventures are not interconnected, but most of them could be fairly easily modified to do so if you prefer. One of them takes place on Earth during the asteroid strikes, and they offer different perspectives, even allowing PCs to be part of the Free Navy. 

 

That about wraps things up for this transmission. I hope you’re as excited as I am to see these books in print! 

~Ian Lemke, The Expanse RPG line developer